The NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) provide up to five years of support for research training leading to the Ph.D. or equivalent research degree, the combined M.D./Ph.D. degree; or another formally combined professional degree and research doctoral degree in biomedical, behavioral, health services, or clinical sciences.

The overall goal of the program is to help ensure that a diverse pool of highly trained scientists is available in appropriate scientific disciplines to address the Nation's biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs. In order to accomplish this goal, NRSA training programs are designed to train individuals to conduct research and to prepare for research careers.

The NIH Kirschstein Awards consist of several fellowships (F-Series) that include the following: